Mistakes we made
by anxious cucumber
Summary: This is a sequel to the story "Loving you was never a mistake." Joshaya, Rucas.
1. Coming home

**A/N:Hey guys, I'm back. I missed writing and I found some free time and I thought it would be great to post again. This is a sequel to my first story "Loving you was never a mistake." If you haven't read it, you should, it's really good and if you have, I hope you liked it enough to read the sequel as well. I really hope you'll enjoy the story. So let's get started.**

Maya Hart was walking down the streets of Florence, Italy. It's been three years since she came to Italy for the first time and she still felt as mesmerized with the city as the first time she saw it. She was in her third year of art studies and she had her first art show last month. Her mother and her step dad came all the way from New York. Her best friends Riley, Lucas and Farkle came too. And Cory and Topanga wouldn't miss it for the world either. Maya and Josh lived together all this time. He graduated business school and got his masters degree. He just started his new job at a local firm. Both him and Maya learned italian. They still went back to New York during holidays and summer. Katy and Shawn visited every two month. Maya felt like she had the best of both world. Her life couldn't be more perfect. Maya stopped by the gelateria a block from her apartment to get her and Josh their favorite ice cream. Josh was coming home early from work today and they were suppose to spend the whole afternoon together. She opened the door and Josh greeted her with a smile.

"There's my beautiful fiancé." He walked towards her and kissed her.

"She comes bearing gifts." She showed him the carton box filled with ice cream.

"God I love you." He said, still looking at the ice cream.

"I love you too." He said to Maya.

Maya smiled and they kissed again.

"I packed the bags. We are all good to go." Josh said and dove in to the ice cream.

"You are amazing." Maya said as she changed her clothes in the other room. "I can't wait to see everyone back home."

"I can't believe we are going back for Riley's wedding." Josh said.

"I can't believe they are getting married a year after their engagement." Maya walked back into the room.

"I can't believe they are getting married before us. I don't know how we didn't see that one coming." Josh was still surprised.

"Lucas is one lucky guy." Maya took a bite out of the ice cream.

"I can't wait for you to finish college so that we can get married." Josh said lovingly.

"Look around. We're basically already married." Maya joked.

"We lived together for three years and we made it out alive. We are going to nail this marriage thing." Josh said and raised his hand.

"We are going to be the best married couple in the history of marriage." Maya said and high-fived him.

"When does the plain leave?" Maya asked with ice cream in her mouth.

"I am not sure, around 4 in the morning. Which means we have to get up around 1 and be at the airport by 2." Josh set the plan. Maya took the air plane ticket that was on the table next to her and looked at the time and date.

"Honey." She said with a calm voice. "Our plain leaves at 4 p.m."

Josh lifted his eyes from the ice-cream and looked at her with his eyes wide open.

"We have an hour until the plain leaves." Maya said and they both jumped up to grab their suitcases and anything else they might need before they rushed to the airport.

XXXXXX

"I hate flying." Josh said anxiously as their plane took off. They barely made it in time. Maya took his hand in hers to calm him down.

"It's going to be fine. We've done it already." She said.

"It's a nine hour flight. It never gets better." Josh's body tensed up as the plain slightly shook. Maya held back the laughter.

"It's not funny." Josh exclaimed.

"I know. I am so sorry." She leaned towards him and kissed him. It was a long and passionate kiss. When she pulled away she asked: "Does that make it better?"

"A little." Josh said more relaxed.

"Give me your phone. I want to take a bunch of pictures of the sky.

"What's wrong with your phone?" He asked.

"My battery is dead. Because I thought I'll have time to charge it after class, but someone mixed up the time of our flight." Maya said in her teasing voice.

Josh handed her his phone in defeat. Maya turned on the camera and shot a couple of pictures.

-It is not my fault. You are the one you trusted me with the tickets. – Josh defended himself.

Maya turned away from the window and looked him in the eyes.

-You're right. It was really dumb of me. – Maya continued in a playful tone. She leaned in and whispered in his ear. – You should probably punish me when we land in New York.

Josh smiled widely. He whispered in her ear: "Why wait till New York?"

-We are not having sex in an airplane bathroom. – Maya shot down his fantasy.

-Why not? – Josh protested. – They know what you do in there, that's why they built it. It's practically a rule that you have to do it once in your life.

-Honestly, with the amount of flying we did in the past three years I am surprised we never did it in there before.

-Right? We are committing a crime against frequent fliers established since the time when the first plain was invented. – Josh said.

"I'll do it if you stop talking about it." Maya finally agreed.

Josh unbuckled his seatbelt and rushed to the bathroom.

"You are not afraid of flying all of a sudden?" Maya teased him.

"I found a better way to spend my nine hour flight then in fear." He kissed her forehead and headed to the bathroom. Maya joined him five minutes later.

XXXXXX

"I can't believe it's our wedding day tomorrow." Riley said excitedly. She laid in bed with Lucas next to her.

"I can't believe I get to marry the most beautiful girl in the world tomorrow. And then I get to call you my wife for the rest of my life." Lucas said as he looked into Riley's eyes. Lucas and Riley moved in together as soon as they started college. They were both studying at NYU and neither one of them wanted to be in a dorm room. They dated since they were fifteen and both knew they wanted to be together for a lot longer so they knew that it was the right time to move in together. It didn't feel rushed to them. It felt natural. And then Lucas got tired of waiting around for their life as married couple to start so he popped the question and Riley said yes instantly. They surprised everyone by deciding to do it right away but their friends and family knew them well enough to know it's the right move for them. Riley was so happy that her best friend and made of honor was coming home. They haven't seen each other in a month. They talk on the phone daily but Riley still missed her person. She couldn't wait for Maya to finish school and come back for good.

"I am so glad we decided that it would be stupid to not see each other the night before the wedding." Lucas said.

"I would miss you too much if we didn't. I forgot how to sleep alone." Riley responded.

"We really should sleep. It's 2 in the morning and we have a long day ahead of us." Lucas said.

"You're right. I don't want to fall asleep at the altar." Riley agreed. She turned away from Lucas and closed her eyes. He wrapped his arms around her and slowly dozed off.

"I can't wait for you to see me in the wedding dress." Riley said before falling asleep.

"I can't wait for to tear that dress off of you the next night." Lucas whispered to her. Just before they would both fall asleep, someone knocked on the door.

"Who could be knocking at this time of night?" Sleepy Lucas complained.

"I'll get it." Riley quickly stood up. Lucas went back to sleep but the sound of Riley screaming made him jump out of the bed and run to the front door. She was hugging her uncle and her best friends.

"What are you guys doing here? We didn't expect you for a couple more hours?" Lucas said happily as soon as his heart slowed down.

"I didn't either." Maya said and looked and Josh who had an apologetic smirk on. She let go of her best friend and went to hug Lucas.

"I am so glad you're here." He said.

"Not as glad as I am." Maya responded. "I really missed you guys."

"Why didn't you call? We would've picked you up from the airport." Riley said.

"It was no trouble. And we realized last minute that our flight was earlier then we told you." Josh explained. "We are sorry we woke you up."

"Don't be crazy. I can't believe you're here." Riley said and hugged them both again. Lucas joined them in the hug.

"Now we are just missing Farkle and the whole gang is back together." Lucas said with nostalgia.

"I can't wait to see him tomorrow." Maya was excited.

"We have a big day ahead of us."

XXXXXX

"You have to get up. " Josh told Maya for the tenth time that morning as he tried to wake her up.

""Five more minutes." Maya pleaded half asleep.

"We're going to be late for the wedding." He reminded her.

Maya opened her eyes reluctantly. Josh kissed her.

"Good morning beautiful." He smiled at her. Maya pulled him closer and Josh laid on top of her. They kissed again. Maya let her hands wonder to the hem of his shirt. She tried to take it off of him.

"We don't have time." Josh stopped her and got up. "We're going to be late. And we still haven't seen our families."

Maya pushed him down and sat on top of him.

"There is always time for this." Maya said and kissed him again. He turned them around so that now he was on top of her again. He took off his shirt and helped Maya take off hers too.

"Maya can you…" Riley walked through the door without knocking. She let out a soft scream and covered her eyes with her hand. "I am so sorry guys, I should have knocked."

"Hey honey, have you seen my… oh god." Lucas walked in behind Riley and reacted in the same way.

"It's fine, we're covered." Maya said as soon as both her and Josh put on their shirts again.

"You can look now." Josh assured them it was safe.

"What's up Riley?" Maya wanted to change the subject before it got even more awkward.

"I need some help with the dress before we go." Riley said.

"I take my maid of honor duties very seriously." Maya said and left the room with Riley.

"And I can't find my tie." Lucas complained behind them.

"It's in the bathroom." Riley reminded him. "You tried it on yesterday."

Lucas and Josh grabbed all of the clothes and stuff they needed and went to meet up with Farkle, Cory, Shawn and Auggie and then go to church. Maya and Riley stayed to get ready. Soon Topanga and Katy joined them. Katy brought over her and Shawn's two year old daughter Izzy. Maya hasn't seen her sister in three months because she had a cold and couldn't fly the last time Katy and Shawn visited. Izzy looked a lot like Maya. She had her blue eyes and her blond curls but there was a lot of Shawn in her rebellious behavior.

The girls got ready with the help of the professional hair and makeup artist. Riley put on her strapless white ball gown wedding dress and she took everybody's breath away. Riley had two bridesmaids, Maya and a girl she was friends at NYU Lily. Farkle was Lucas's best man. When the girls arrived at the church, Maya ran straight to Farkle.

"I missed you buddy."

"I misses you too Hart." Farkle replied.

"So where is the lucky lady?" Maya was curious because she didn't meet his new girlfriend yet.

"We've only been together for two months. She is very special and I don't want to ruin it. Be nice." Farkle warned.

"I am always nice." Maya defended herself.

"Come on, I'll introduce you to Smackle."

"So she goes to MIT with you?" Maya checked the information she had.

"Yes." Farkle confirmed. "And she doesn't like to be touched by strangers so don't hug, just shake her hand."

"She really is a New Yorker." Maya joked.

XXXXXX

Riley was sitting in the chair in the small room in the back of the church and laughing with her mother when Maya walked in the room.

"I was expecting you to pace the floor until there was a permanent hole in the shape of your feet on the ground." Maya said honestly.

"I am not nervous, Maya. I wanted to marry Lucas since I was twelve." Riley said with a smile.

"And nine years later, here we are."

"Did you see Lucas? How does he look?" Riley asked excitedly.

"He is very calm as well. He hadn't stopped smiling since he walked in the church. Josh said he hadn't stopped talking about you the whole morning." – Maya told her best friend.

"He really loves me." Riley was giddy. "And people thing we're getting married because I'm pregnant."

"Screw the people." Maya was fired up. "Let's get you married."


	2. Tell the truth

It was a beautiful ceremony. Maya watched her two best friends tie the knot and she knew they would last. She knew since that first day in the subway. She was very happy for her best friend. She knew Riley found someone who loves her as much as Josh loves Maya. When Riley tossed the bouquet, Maya caught it. Josh laughed and asked her to dance.

"You're next." – He whispered in her ear.

"I hear Lucas's cousin is single. Maybe he'd like to marry me." Maya joked. Josh twirled her.

"You two would never last." Josh said to her.

"Are you jealous?" Maya teased him.

"No, but Lucas's cousin's boyfriend is." He said.

They laughed.

At around seven o'clock, a lot of people went home but a lot more were still dancing and drinking and having a good time. Riley and Lucas already went to the honeymoon suit that Maya and Josh payed for them as a wedding gift, because Riley and Lucas couldn't afford a real honeymoon right now. Maya took an opportunity when Josh was with his brothers, sister and parents to go to Farkle.

"I need to borrow him for a while." – She said to Smackle and grabbed Farkle's arm. – "I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all." Smackle responded.

"Maybe I mind." Farkle said as Maya dragged him away.

"I need you to come with me. It's important." Maya said seriously.

"Okay. I'll come." Farkle knew it was something serious by the tone in Maya's voice. He saw Maya a lot less for the last couple of years, but he still knew her very well. She was still the same girl. Maya led him to the parking lot, went to Shawn's car and sat in the driver's seat. Farkle sat next to her without a word. After a few minutes he finally said what was on his mind: "I love you Maya and I'll follow you anywhere but you are kind of freaking me out so you need to tell me where we're going."

"I can't tell Josh yet and it's Riley's wedding day so I don't want to bother her with this. So you are all I have at this moment." Maya said.

"How flattering." Farkle joked.

"I understand. You can tell me."

"I was talking to Riley before the wedding and she said something to me." Maya took in a deep breath. "She mentioned how people think she is getting married because she is pregnant."

"I don't get it." Farkle said.

"I'm late, Farkle." Maya explained.

"Late for what?" Farkle still didn't get it.

"No. My period is late." She explained.

"You're pregnant?" Farkle screamed after he realized what she was saying.

"Maybe. Maybe I'm pregnant. We don't know for sure." Maya said. "That's why we are here." Maya said as she parked the car. They were in front of a pharmacy. "I need to know."

"And this couldn't wait until tomorrow?" Farkle asked. Maya hit his arm.

"I'll take that as a no." He said and they both got out of the car.

Farkle saw Maya was nervous. He walked to her and hugged her tightly.

"It's going to be okay. No matter what." Farkle assured her. She put her head on his shoulder.

Maya was grateful he was there with her. She hoped Josh wouldn't be too mad that she didn't come to him first. She just wanted to make sure it was really happening and if it was she needed to understand how she felt about the whole thing before she dragged him with her into it.

Maya took a deep breath and they went into the store. It took them a while but they finally found the isle they were looking for.

"Which one?" Farkle asked looking at all of the different kind of tests.

"How should I know? I've never done this before." Maya sounded annoyed.

"Okay. Let's just take one of each and see what happens." Farkle offered a solution.

"There's like ten different ones." Maya found a hole in his plan.

"Your dad left you money." Farkle reminded her.

"I am sure he didn't mean for it to be spent like this." She mumbled as she took one of each pregnancy tests. Farkle helped her carry them all to the counter. Maya payed for the tests and they went back to the car.

"We need to get something to drink. I don't think I can pee on all of these." Maya complained as they went back on the road. The restaurant where the wedding reception was at, was only ten minutes away.

"Let's stop at a gas pump. I'll buy you some drinks and you can wait in the bathroom." Farkle suggested.

"I am not doing it at a gas station." Maya protested.

"You're peeing on a stick. How glamourous do you need it to be?" Farkle said.

Maya shot him a deadly look. "I took you with me for the support. Be supportive." She hissed.

"Fine. Let's just go back to the wedding. Thank god they have an open bar." Farkle set a new plan.

"What if Josh sees me?" Maya wasn't ready to talk to him yet.

"Just go straight to the bathroom and I'll bring you some drinks and make sure Josh doesn't see you."

"Okay." – Maya agreed. – "Remember no alcohol."

"Oh, I am definitely bringing some for myself." Farkle said.

XXXXXX

Maya drank three bottles of water and did her thing. Now all there was left was to wait. Farkle locked the bathroom floor and the two of them sat on the floor with ten sticks in front of them.

"Would it really be so horrible if you were pregnant?" – Farkle wondered. –"I mean you are with a men you are going to spend the rest of your life with. You're engaged. You will finish school by the time the baby is born. Money is not an issue. You're in a good place right now."

"But I am only 21. I am not ready." – Maya said. – "I want to have a life before I start taking care of another life. I know Josh wouldn't mind but I can't picture myself as a mother. I don't want a kid right now."

"it's probably nothing. Women are late all the time, right?" Farkle asked.

"Yeah." Maya held on tightly to the hope Farkle was offering. "It's probably just a false alarm. I mean we use protection all the time. What are the odds?" Maya asked rhetorically.

"One percent." Farkle said.

"That's practically nothing." Maya said. Her phone alarm rang after five minutes. "It's time."

Maya took in a deep breath and they both looked over all ten of the tests.

"I am the one percent." Maya said as fear flooded her.

"Only according to seven out of ten." – Farkle tried to stay optimistic. – "There's a thirty percent chance you are not a one percent."

"My life is over." – Maya said, not listening to anything Farkle was saying. – "I have to tell Josh now."

"What are you going to do about it?" Farkle asked.

"I don't know." Maya said. "I am scared."

"No matter what you decide, I'll be here for you." Farkle comforted her. He tried to be supportive. Maya smiled and placed her head on his shoulder.

"Can we stay here and avoid the rest of the world for a while?" Maya questioned.

"We can stay here for as long as you want." Farkle said.

XXXXXX

Maya and Farkle sat at the floor of a restaurant bathroom for the next 15 minutes. They sat in silence, with Maya's head on Farkle's shoulder. Farkle didn't know what to say to her. He held her hand and hoped that would be enough. Maya's head was spinning. She thought about all of her options and couldn't decide what was right for her. She knew she had to tell Josh but she wasn't ready yet. Still, she knew they had to go back to the wedding. They've been gone for 40 minutes and she knew Josh will be getting worried.

"We should get back." Maya said and got up. Farkle followed her lead.

"Are you sure?" He asked. "I don't mind staying a little longer."

Maya hugged her friend. "Thank you for not letting me do this alone."

"I'll never let you be alone." Farkle promised her.

"You should go back to your girlfriend." Maya reminded him. "I hope she doesn't get to mad at you. Make sure to explain to her you didn't ditch her. You can tell her the truth. I'll allow it."

"She is very understanding. I'm sure she trusts me enough to not feel treated." Farkle assured her.

"I'm glad you have someone like that with you." Maya said.

They walked out of the bathroom and Farkle went to find Smackle as Maya looked for Josh. She saw him dancing with Topanga to a fast song. She couldn't help but smile at the man she loved. She thought about the first time they danced together. He still had the same moves. Topanga was laughing with him and seeing him like that, Maya knew she didn't have to worry about anything as long as they were together. Josh saw her and smiled at her immediately. He bowed to Topanga and kissed her hand then ran over to Maya. He lifted her up and twirled her around.

"Where have you been? I looked everywhere for you." He asked.

"I was helping Farkle with some girl problems." Maya lied. She hoped Farkle wouldn't mind.

"Is everything okay?" Josh asked.

"It will be." Maya responded. This time she wasn't laying. "Want to go back to Riley and Lucas's? I'm exhausted." They were still staying at their apartment.

"Let's go." Josh didn't hesitate. They went to say goodbye to their family and friends. Cory and Topanga were sitting at a table with Shawn and Katy. Izzy was asleep in Shawn's arms. Maya looked at her sleeping face and she couldn't help but picture her own daughter in her arms. She wandered if she would love her as much as she loves Izzy. Or will she resent her for having her when she isn't ready.

"Do you ever regret it?" Maya asked Katy as she was saying goodbye. "Having Izzy? Or me?"

"Oh god no." Katy responded quickly. "I mean, I haven't slept in two years and she can be a handful. And no offence, but you were kind of a pain in the ass when you were growing up." They both laughed. "But the two of you were the best thing that ever happened to me. You'll understand when you have kids of your own. They are the biggest blessing you get in a lifetime."

"Were you ready when you had me?" Maya asked sheepishly.

"I am barely ready now." Katy responded. "You learn as you go. Nothing else can get you ready." Katy paused for a second. "Is everything okay? Are you and Josh planning…"

"No, no." Maya quickly interrupted. "I was just curious."

"If anything was going on, you'd tell me, right?" Her mother asked.

"Of course." They hugged. Maya said goodbye to everyone else and left with Josh.

She wanted to tell him tonight. She knew she had to. It was the right thing to do. They came back to the apartment. Maya took off her shoes first and Josh untied his tie. He went to the kitchen and poured them two glasses of wine.

"It was a really nice wedding." He said as he handed her the glass.

"I'm good, thanks." She passed on the wine.

"You okay babe?" Josh asked. "I've never seen you turn down wine before." Josh placed the two glassed down on the coffee table and sat on the couch. Maya saw her opening. It was now or never. She sat next to him, with her feet beneath her and turned to face him.

"Actually there is something I need to tell you." Maya started nervously.

"Okay, I'm listening." Josh nodded.

"It's okay if you freak out." – Maya assured him. – "I freaked out. I am still freaking out. It's a freaking out worthy news."

"Babe, just breathe and tell me." Josh said calmly.

Maya started to tear up a little. "I wasn't with Farkle because of his girl problems. He doesn't have any right now. I asked him to come with me because I had to do something."

"Okay." Josh said confused.

Maya took in a deep breath. She thought it would be better if she just showed him. She took her bag and pulled out ten pregnancy tests she bought with Farkle. Josh took one stick at the time and slowly processed the information.

"You're pregnant?" He asked quietly when he averted his eyes from pregnancy tests to Maya. Maya nodded.

"We're having a baby?" He asked more excitedly. Maya nodded again.

"We're having a baby!" He picked up Maya and twirled her around. Maya laughed at his reaction.

"You're not freaked out? Why aren't you freaked out." Maya asked him.

"Because it's a baby. We made a little you or a little me. I always wanted a family with you. This is sooner than I thought. A lot sooner." – He said. – "But it's still something I always wanted."

"I am not sure I want it." Maya let out what was bugging her. "I mean I want it. But some day. Down the road when we're married and employed and living in New York again. You know, after we traveled and lived a little." She explained herself. Josh put her down but still held his hands on her waist. Maya rested her hands on his forearm.

"What are you saying?" Josh was confused.

"We are so young. I am not sure I want a kid right now. I am still a kid. I can't raise a baby. And I can't have a baby out of guilt over what someone else might say. I think if I had this baby right now, I will end up resenting it and it wouldn't do any good for any of us." Maya tried to explain how she feels.

"So you already decided what you want to do?" Josh was angry. "So why even bother telling me?"

Maya put her hands on his face and looked him in the eyes while she spoke. "I haven't decided. That's why I'm telling you. I want us to talk about this and decide together. This is as much of your baby as it is mine."

"I want to keep it. And raise it. And protect it from the world. I want to put our little boy or girl to sleep and sing them lullabies. I want a little girl that has your eyes or a little boy who has your smile." Josh explained. "I want a family with you."

"And I want all of that." Maya assured him. "Just not now."

"Why not?" Josh took a step back, away from her.

"I am not ready." Maya desperately yelled.

"We'll never be ready." Josh tried to reason with her." It's something we learn along the way."

"I thought you were pro-choice?" Maya started to yell. She couldn't believe he didn't understand her point of view.

"Yes, for people who don't have other options. Not us." Josh couldn't believe how unreasonable she was being.

"I can't bring into this world a child I am not excited about. I grow up with a parent who didn't want me and it sucked." Maya tried to make him understand. Her voice was shaking and she was fighting back the tears.

"Don't make this about your dad." Josh said.

"It's not about my dad, it's about our child." Maya responded.

"I can't believe you are even considering this." Josh said more comely. He couldn't understand how she could feel like this.

"And I can't believe you are not even listening to me." Maya yelled.

"I am listening." Josh fired back.

"But you are not hearing me." Maya yelled.

"I think we should call it a night. Before we both say something we'll regret." Josh didn't want to hurt her feelings.

"I'll sleep on the couch tonight." Maya hated fighting with him. They barely ever fought. Never about something as big as this.

"No, you're taking the bed. I'm sleeping on the couch." Josh was determined. He grabbed a blanket and a pillow from the bedroom and prepared the couch for sleeping.

"Josh... this is just a fight, right? We'll work it out?" Maya asked on the verge of tears.

Josh walked to her and kissed her forehead. "I love you Maya. I just can't do this tonight."

Maya went to the bedroom and Josh slept on the couch. She cried herself to sleep, as they slept separately, for the first time in three years.

 **A/N: Hey guys. I hope you liked this chapter and I hope you can understand where both Josh and Maya are coming from. Let me know what you think. I always love to hear from you.**


	3. Baby maybe

Josh couldn't sleep. He kept thinking about Maya and her words and the little baby that grew inside of her. He hated the way they left things off. He hated that they didn't agree on something so important, but most of all, he hated that now she was crying in another room and he was laying here, acting like it didn't bother him. He couldn't hear her but he knew. He got up a couple of times to go and talk to her but he never went pass the door. He couldn't make his knuckles touch the door. He would turn around and go back to bed and then after a couple of minutes he tried again. Thirteenth time was the lucky one. He knocked softly on the door and when she didn't answer, he went in anyways. She was asleep or at least pretending to be asleep. He crossed the room to the bed in a few quite steps. He slipped under the covers behind her and gently pressed his arm against her still flat stomach.

"You up?" He whispered and Maya turned around and opened her eyes. They were red from crying.

"What's wrong?" She asked a little panicked as she sat up in the bed.

"Nothing." – Josh sat up straight too. – "Nothing's wrong. I just couldn't sleep not knowing if you were okay."

Maya smiled. "I'm fine." – She whispered. – "We can talk about it in the morning."

"I am sorry." Josh said, needing to get it all out right there and then. "I overreacted. You were right. We need to make a decision together and I didn't listen to you." – He paused for a second and looked down. – "I don't want you to feel like you need to do this just because of me. If you are not ready and you don't want a baby right now, I get that." – He looked back at her. – "I want to be with you. And I want you to feel happy, not trapped. This just isn't our moment. We'll have another one. I'll be fine with that. So no matter what you decide I will stick by you."

Maya hugged him tightly. Josh nuzzled her neck and she inhaled his scent.

"I don't want you to feel like you are missing out on something because on me. I don't want you to say that you are fine with it for the sake of peace only so you can resent me or even worse hate me later on." Maya told him.

"I could never hate you. No matter what you did." Josh assured her and hugged her tighter.

"I still haven't decided. I just want us to look at all the options." Maya said. "I don't want to make this decision on my own. I want us to decide what's best for us together."

"Okay." Josh agreed. "We'll decide together."

"Will you come and sleep with me now?" Maya asked.

Josh didn't answer. He just laid down and put out his arm so that she can rest her head on it. Maya smiled and laid down facing away from him. He wrapped her in his arms and softly whispered: "That's better." before they both fell asleep.

XXXXXX

The next morning Maya and Josh decided to have a serious discussion about their options. They agreed on no yelling and listening to each other even if they disagreed with something.

"So, what are you leaning towards?" Josh asked her.

"I don't know." Maya said honestly. "I am very confused and maybe I over reacted last night. Or maybe I had the right idea and now I am making a mistake."

"You need to calm down." He said. "We'll make the right decision."

"But what if we don't?" Maya asked. "What if we make a mistake? It's not just the two of us anymore. It's another life. A whole person that we are responsible for. And no matter what we decide, if we screw it up, it's on us."

"It's a big decision. Possible the biggest one we'll make in our lives. But I think in your heart you know what you want." Josh said.

Maya nodded in agreement. "I need to talk to Riley about this."

"I thought we needed to make this decision. The two of us. Not your best friend."

"She knows me better than anyone else. She knows what I need to do." Maya explained.

"I know you too. I lived with you for the past three years. I loved you for a million more before that. We're in this together. You and me. Not anyone else." Josh was getting sick of Maya always running to Riley instead of him.

"You can't be mad at me for this. She's my person. She was there before you. Before anyone. You have no right to tell me I can't run to her for this." Maya was annoyed.

"It was fine when you were younger and you only had each other, but she's married now. And you are engaged and having a baby. You grew up. You found someone else to share your life with. She can't come first anymore."

"And who should come first Josh? You?" Maya was getting mad.

"Why not? You always come first to me?" He said. Then he continued in a calmer voice. "Look, I get it. You two depend on each other and that's fine, I'm just saying that there are some things you can't go through together because it's not her experience. It's yours and it's mine. And there will be stuff that happens to her and Lucas that she will deal with him and not you. And that's not a bad thing. It's the way things work." Josh explained his point of view.

"I love you. But I don't like you very much right now." Maya said.

"Maya…" Josh started but she interrupted.

"I am going to go for a walk and we'll continue this when I come back." She said.

"You can't just walk out." He said.

"Why not? You did last night." She reminded him.

Josh didn't say anything. He just watched Maya walk out of the door. She needed to talk to Riley. Riley will know what she should do and then things can go back to normal and she can stop fighting with Josh. She took a cab to the hotel where Riley and Lucas were staying.

The ride wasn't long and Maya couldn't stop thinking about her pregnancy. When she arrived at the hotel and entered the lobby, she wanted to head straight to their room but she stopped. She can't do that. She can't ruin her best friends first day of marriage. Riley would never do that to her. Instead of going up to Riley's room, she sat in the chair in the lobby. They were very comfortable. Maya looked at the very decorated ceiling of the hotel lobby and she thought about how perfect her life was just a few days ago. And now she is pregnant with a child she didn't plan and she is in a fight with her fiancé who is acting like a jerk. Or maybe she was acting like a jerk. She didn't even know anymore.

"Maya?" A familiar voice woke her from her thoughts.

"Riles? Lucas? What are you guys doing here?" She asked her friends.

"We can ask you the same thing." Lucas noticed.

"It's a girl thing, honey." Riley said to her husband.

"I'll get our car." Lucas said.

"You don't have a car." Maya reminded him.

"I'll go get one." He kissed his wife and headed out.

Riley sat next to her friend. "What's wrong peaches?" She asked worried.

"I am pregnant." Maya said bluntly.

Riley's jaw dropped to the floor. She was speechless.

"Are we happy or sad about this?" Riley asked, treading carefully.

"That's why I'm here. I need to you tell me. What should I do?"

"Peaches, I can't tell you that." Riley answered. "It's your life and your decision. I can only tell you that I will stand by you no matter what, but I can't tell you what to do."

"Then why am I keeping you around?" Maya joked.

"Does Josh know?" Riley asked.

"I told him and we've been fighting about it ever since he found out." Maya said.

"Why?" Riley asked her best friend.

So Maya told her everything. She told her how she found out. She explained why she was fighting with Josh, she told her everything they said to each other. And then she told her what she was thinking and how confused she was. Riley listened carefully. She nodded and gasped at the right moments and she tried to give her advice.

"You both have a point, Maya. I think you are both too scared to think rationally and that's why you have so much trouble communicating. And even though he's a jerk for saying it, he might be a little right. You have to figure this one out with him, not with me. This is his child as much as it is yours." Riley said.

"That's what he said too." Maya said.

"It's a Matthews thing." Riley said jokingly. "We are were smart."

"Don't push it." Maya warned. She sighed loudly.

"I should go talk to him." Maya finally agreed.

"And I should spend another day in a hotel with my husband." Riley said.

"Thanks Riles for always being my friend." Maya said.

"Anytime sweetie." She concluded.

"And don't tell anyone yet. No one knows." Maya made her promise.

XXXXXX

She came back to the apartment and walked in on Josh still sitting on the couch. He smiled when he saw her. "I didn't know if you were coming back."

"I'll always come back." She said and sat next to him.

"You are a jerk." She said. "But there is a small chance you're also right."

"I'm sorry about everything I said. I know I've said that a lot in the past two days but I mean it. Of course you'll go to Riley first. She's your person." Josh said.

"You're my person too." She said. "I am ready now."

"Ready for what?" He asked confused.

"Would you go with me to a doctor's appointment tomorrow?" She asked with a smile.

Josh smiled back. "I'd love to."

 **A/N: Hey guys. I am sorry you had to wait this long and that the chapter isn't that long but I hope you still like it and i am looking forward to your comments.**


	4. Family dinner

Maya was nervous when they were at the doctor's. She had to have a blood test to see if she was pregnant and Josh held her hand while a nurse pocked her with a needle. They asked her to put on a hospital gown and she had to sit wearing only that and wait for a doctor.

"I feel so exposed." She said.

"That gown looks great on you, buy the way." Josh said. "I bet it's all the rage at the fashion shows in Milan and Paris."

"With a cute belt it can be a going out outfit as well as a stay at home and watch Netflix outfit." Maya continued the joke.

"Multifunctional. The best quality in cloths." Josh made her laugh.

"I am glad we stopped fighting." Josh said.

"I am too." Maya smiled.

They were about to kiss when a doctor came and interrupted them.

"Good news. You are pregnant." The doctor said.

"We kind of knew that already." Josh said.

"And we're not sure it is a good news yet." Maya added.

"No worries. We can do some tests, see how far along you are, see how the fetus is doing and we can go from there. Sounds good?" The doctor asked.

Maya and Josh looked at each other and then they both nodded.

The doctor came back half an hour later with all the test results.

"I can tell you that you are six weeks pregnant. That means you have two more weeks to decide whether you want to keep it or terminate the pregnancy. So far the fetus is healthy and all that is left to do is an ultrasound." The doctor explained everything.

"It's very early on so you won't see much on the ultrasound." She warned them.

"I'm ready." Maya said and the doctor poured cold gel on her stomach. She struggled for a while to find the fetus but when she did she pointed to a little blurry circle on the screen: "And that's your baby."

"It's a little peanut." Josh said.

"We have a peanut." Maya whispered and smiled. It was her baby. No matter how small and unrecognizable it was, it was hers.

"It's a size of a thumb nail right now but that is what it is supposed to look like." The doctor said. "Everything looks fine. Do you want me to schedule another appointment in a week and you can tell me what you decided?" She asked.

"No need." Maya set up straight and looked at Josh. "We are having a little peanut."

Josh laughed. "We are keeping it?" He asked.

"We're keeping it." Maya nodded. Josh hugged her tightly.

"Are you sure? I'll understand if you don't want to." He assured her.

"Shut up and be happy." Maya said. Josh kissed her.

"Well, congratulation." The doctor said. "I am very happy for you two." She smiled.

"If you want me to be your doctor I can schedule a monthly visit. I will be happy to answer any questions that you have and if anything happens or you just want to ask me something, I'm available 24/7 on this number." She gave them her visit card.

"That's very sweet of you, but we are only here for a visit. We are going back to Italy in a couple of days." Maya explained.

"We are?" Josh asked surprised. "I assumed since the baby, you'd want to be closer to family."

"I have to finish college first. I have some extra credit and with some luck I'll be able to graduate early." Maya explained.

"You're absolutely right." Josh agreed.

"Where in Italy are you living?" The doctor asked.

"Florence." Maya said.

"I have some friends who practice there. I can give you their contacts." She offered.

"That would be amazing. Thank you." Maya said.

"It's no problem." The doctor said.

"Just make sure you are relaxed and comfortable because when you're stressed, the baby is stressed too. When you're angry, the baby is angry too. So everything you do in the next eight and a half months directly affects your child." The doctor warned her.

"I'll take good care of her." Josh said.

"And I'll remind him constantly." Maya joked.

XXXXXX

"We can't tell anyone." Maya reminded Josh again.

"Why not?" Josh was still persistent.

"Because it's bad luck. We have to wait until the end of the first trimester." Maya reminded him again. "And if we tell our parents they would never let us go back to Italy."

"We are coming back to New York full time though, right?" Josh was making sure.

"As soon as I graduate we will move back." Maya assured him.

"What if the baby decides to come early?" Josh was trying to plan ahead.

"Then it will be born in Italy." Maya was okay with that.

They entered Topanga's where the rest of the gang was waiting for them. Maya was glad to see that their favorite cafe stayed the same. Her mom didn't work there anymore, she bought it from the Matthews last year but she still kept the name. The customers loved it and so did she.

Riley and Lucas were giggling and stroking each other's arms as Farkle stared at them nauseously. He looked glad that someone else was joining them.

"Oh thank God." He yelled when Maya and Josh walked in.

"We're having a baby." Maya said as soon as they walked in.

"I thought we were going to wait." Josh said.

"They already knew." Maya said.

"A baby? You are pregnant? I did not know that. No one told me." Lucas acted surprised.

"Pipe it down Ranger Rick. I know she told you." Maya was amused.

"She told me." Lucas admitted. "Congratulations."

"I am so happy for you guys." Riley said.

"I knew first." Farkle bragged.

"Thank you guys." Maya said. "But no one else can know."

"Not even our parents." Josh added.

"We'll keep it a secret." Farkle promised them.

Katy walked in and saw them all sitting there. She walked over.

"Hey guys." She greeted them. They all greeted her back.

"Why aren't you answering your phone? I tried calling you all morning." Katy asked her daughter.

"I'm pregnant." Maya blurted.

"Maya." Josh screamed.

"I don't know what's wrong with me." Maya defended herself.

"I knew it." Katy screamed in excitement. "I knew it since the wedding." She hugged her daughter.

"Oh baby girl." She teared up. "You're going to be a mom."

"And you're going to be a grandmother." Maya reminded her. They both started crying tears of joy.  
"My baby is having a baby." Katy said through tears.

"Well the cat is out of the bag now." Josh said. "I have to tell my mother now too."

"Why don't we throw a dinner and invite everyone and tell them then?" Maya offered. "And then we can tell your parents and Shawn and the rest of the Matthews."

"Deal." Josh agreed. "We can do it tomorrow since everyone is still in town because of Riley's wedding."

"And you can do it at our house." Katy offered and the plan was set in motion.

XXXXXX

Josh and Maya wanted to make something nice for their friends and family. The only problem was neither one of them knew how to cook. In Italy they survived on take out and an old Serbian lady who lived next door who'd sometimes bring them over a home cooked meal, presumably because she took pity on them. Only thing either one of them knew how to make, was pasta with meatballs and even that had a fifty percent success rate. Maya found a recipe on the internet for an apple pie and tasked Josh to make it while she prepared chicken and potatoes in the best way possible. Needless to say, it didn't go according to plan. Josh put salt in his pie instead of sugar and Maya burned the chicken.

"Take out?" Josh finally suggested after a whole day of slaying over the stove.

"Take out." Maya exhaustedly agreed. She waved her white flag and surrendered to the chicken.

"It's a shame we have to throw all this ruined food away." He said.

"Yeah." Maya agreed. "How are we going to feed this baby? We're useless in the kitchen."

"It's going to be fine. We can feed it only milk for like the first ten years and then he or she can learn how to cook and feed us." Josh suggested. Maya laughed.

"Is that why some mothers breast feed longer? So they don't kill their kids with burned chicken?" She joked.

"At least you know your kid won't die of salmonella." Josh said and it made Maya laugh.

"I am glad I have you and I don't have to go through this alone." She said. Josh got closer to her and kissed her softly with his arms around her waist. She wrapped her arms around his neck and stepped on her tip toes.

"You will never be alone. I will always be here." He comforted her. Her lips met his and they stood in the middle of the messy kitchen.

"I know something we can do with all this food so it won't be a complete waist." Maya said after she pulled away.

"And what is that?" Josh was curious. Maya freed herself from his hold and grabbed a hand full of flour.

"Don't do it." Josh warned her as soon as he realized what she was doing. "Don't you dare."

Maya smiled with her wide grin and threw the flour all over him. In retaliation Josh broke an egg over her head. And so the great food fight started. They threw every eatable thing they could put their hands on while laughing hysterically. They were all alone in the apartment and they ran around in circles throwing food at each other like two little kids.

"Look at this mess." Maya commented as soon as there was more food on the floor than in the bowls.

"You go figure out what we are going to order and I'll clean this mess." Josh said.

"I love you. You're the best." Maya said.

"I know." Josh answered and kissed her.

XXXXXX

Riley and Lucas were the first ones to come. Riley wanted to help out Maya before the rest of the family arrives. Farkle and Smackle fallowed shortly behind. Then Katy, Shawn, Cory, Topanga, Amy, Alan, Eric and Morgan came all at the same time. The house wasn't this full in a long time, maybe even never. It was nice to have all their family in the same place. Especially since they haven't seen each other in a long time. They joked and reminisced and had a lot of fun. Maya was nervous that they had to tell everyone very soon. She hoped everyone will be happy for them and not tell them that they are being stupid and rushing into parenthood way to soon, because that's what Maya thought. She wanted the baby, but it scared her. Josh knew that she was scared. He kissed her forehead and held her hand the whole night. He wanted her to know she's not going through this alone. He was excited. He always wanted to have kids, especially with Maya. But he was scared too. They were starting a family and as wonderful as that was, neither one of them understood completely how much their lives were about to change.

It was time to eat and everyone sat at the table. Riley kept glancing at her because she knew what was coming, she was just wondering when and Katy couldn't stop smiling widely for the same reason. They only made Maya more nervous.

"It's so wonderful we all gathered here before we head to Philadelphia and you two go back to Italy." Amy said during dinner.

"We haven't done family dinner in a long time." Cory added.

"It seems like I've been missing for a long time." Morgan couldn't help but notice.

"This reminds me of when I would use to come over for dinner all the time when we were kids." Shawn noticed. "Except there's a lot more of us now."

"As it should be." Alan concluded.

"And everything tastes incredible." Topanga complimented.

"Thank you." Maya said. "We made none of it."

"We tried. We really did." Josh added. "But we failed completely."

"All Josh can make is burned toast." Eric teased him.

"Maya's even worst." Riley added.

"Call me when your cook book comes out." Maya teased Riley.

"I made pancakes just yesterday." Riley said proudly.

"And they were very good." Lucas said as he put his arm around his wife's shoulder. "I have to say that. We're married now." He joked. Riley hit his forearm playfully.

"Cooking is just putting different chemicals together." Farkle said. "It's science."

"Not everything is about science. Cooking is art. It requires a lot of work and a lot of love." Amy said.

"It's just measuring and mixing ingredients." He stayed true to his statement.

"Farkle is a very good cook." Isadora said with a big smile. "It's because he's an amazing chemist too."

"They are so cute." Topanga whispered to Cory.

"Nerd love." He responded. "They are really meant for each other."

"What is going on with you tonight?" Shawn asked Katy.

"What do you mean?" She asked him.

"I love when you're happy but if you smile any wider, you'll break your jaw." He said. "Spill it."

"There is nothing to be spilled." Katy tried to keep quit.

"We are married. You are obligated by law to tell me. And I can't testify against you in court."

"Maya has some news she is going to share with us tonight." Katy said as much as she could without giving anything away.

"What news?" He asked.

"Should we tell them now?" Maya asked Josh so only he could hear her.

"Maybe we should. Just to get it out in the open." He agreed.

"Good." Maya said. "You do it first."

"No way. You go." Josh protested.

"It's your baby." Maya argued.

"It's your baby, too." He responded.

"What are you two lovebirds whispering?" Alan asked Josh and Maya.

"We're having a baby."

"I'm pregnant." Maya and Josh screamed at the same time.

"Every time they say it, it gets even better." Farkle whispered to Smackle.

"Congratulations." Lucas said.

"This is such a surprise." Riley screamed.

"You're going to be parents?" Cory asked surprised. "Oh my god."

"Alan." Amy turned to her husband. "We'll have another grandchild to spoil."

"Oh my god, I completely forgot that's my cousin in there." Riley realized.

"So everyone's happy about this?" Josh asked sheepishly.

"As long as you two are happy about this, of course we will all support you. And we will love this baby." Topanga assured them.

"I'm a grandpa?" Shawn teared up.

"Oh honey." Katy rubbed his back.

"Dad don't cry." Maya warned him. "I am very emotional right now and if you start to cry I will start to cry too."

But it was too late. Shawn cried and Maya started to cry too. He got up to hug her. Katy started to cry when she saw them hugging. Then Cory and Riley joined in on the tear fest. At the end of the night, everyone was either crying or comforting someone who was crying but they were all happy. Maya and Josh knew it takes a village to raise a baby. And Maya and Josh would tell their child about the moment they knew their village had their backs and their child would always be taken care of.

"I love your friends." Smackle told Farkle. "I can't wait for the next dinner party."

"Me neither." He said.

 **A/N:** **I didn't plan on updating this chapter this fast, but someone commented about abortion and I would usually respond to it privately but this particular comment came from a Guest user so am answering it this way. This is to that guest and everyone who thinks the same way: I apologize if I offended you with this storyline in any way. That was never my intention. I never meant to make a political statement or start a discussion. I only hope you can understand this beautiful character, or my version of her, and not judge her for any decisions she makes and feels is right for her. I hope you can understand how scared and confused she is and how hard this decision is for her to make. I hope you can go back and reread the last two chapters and listen to her words carefully and understand her and respect her for being brave enough to consider all of her options. I can't make you read or stop reading this story. It is your choice. Yours and no one else's. And I respect it. I already wrote this chapter, before reading your comment, so I can't rewrite it now, but I seriously considered it.**

 **I hope you will understand that just because something is right for you, it does not make it right for everyone else. I do not want to be rude in any way. I respect your belief and your opinion, regardless of whether I think it is wrong or not. I only hope that someday you will learn to respect the things other people choose as a right option for themselves, regardless of what you personally consider to be right. Have a lovely day.**


	5. Getting ready

Maya and Josh laid in the guest bed of their best friend's apartment at 2 in the morning, still awake. The window was open and they could hear the noise coming from the streets of New York, the car horns, traffic and people arguing, it was the one thing Josh never missed about New York and the one thing that would always remind Maya of home. As they laid there, covered in sweat, Maya hated that her best friend decided on a summer wedding.

"It's so hot." Josh complained.

"I can't sleep." Maya said.

"I can't remember the last time I was sweating this much." Josh said.

"I can." Maya said with a flirty smile.

Josh chuckled. "I remember that."

"I am glad we told our families tonight." She said.

"And everyone took the news very well." Josh agreed. Despite the heat, she snuggled in closer to him and he wrapped his arms around her. Maya could hear his heartbeat and she loved that sound. It always calmed her down.

"We are so lucky." She said.

"There is one thing I was meaning to ask you." He started. "Now that we are having a baby…what would you say if we started planning a wedding?" He treated carefully. He knew Maya didn't have the best reaction whenever he brought up the wedding.

"We are getting married as soon as I finish college. That's not going to change." Maya said firmly.

"But what if the baby comes before that?" Josh asked.

"So what if it comes before? People don't have to be married to have or to love a child." Maya insisted.

"You're right, I know that. I just really want to be married to you. That's all." He said and kissed her forehead.

"I know. And I really want to marry you too. But I need to finish college first." She said, a little softer.

"I understand." He said. "We have to buy a lot of baby stuff." He said like it just occurred to him.

"We know nothing about babies." Maya said with a hint of panic in her voice.

"We can learn." Josh said, trying to assure them both, but mostly himself.

"I am so scared." Maya admitted. "You?"

"Terrified." Josh admitted. "There is a big chance we are going to ruin this baby."

"I had a crappy childhood and I turned out okay." Maya said but it sounded more like a question.

"Okay-ish." Josh corrected.

"What do you mean okay-ish?" Maya picked herself up on her elbows and looked at Josh.

"I love you baby, but you have issues." Josh phrased it as nicely as he could.

"You're not a picnic either." She told him.

"I was the fourth child. By the time I was born, my parents already gave up." He said half joking, half serious. Maya laid her head on his chest again.

"People have kids all the time. All we have to do is feed them and not bump their heads." Maya simplified it.

"And even the head bumping is not a hundred percent exclusive. Babies are resilient." Josh added.

Maya laughed. "I'm glad we're in this together." She said.

"I am too." Josh said. They spent the entire night talking, because the heat made it impossible to sleep and Maya liked the feeling she had with Josh next to her. She felt safe and like there is nothing she can't do. Including raising a little human.

XXXXXX

The next few days flew by. Maya and Josh spent every moment with their friends and family. They visited their favorite places and ate their favorite foods.

Leaving was always hard. Maya always felt like she was leaving a part of her behind. As soon as she stepped on the streets of Florence, the feeling would start to fade but until then, it was torcher to say goodbye to everyone and know that she won't see them in months.

Josh felt the same way. He missed New York like crazy. He missed the people and the language and he hated to admit it, but he was starting to get sick of pizza. He loved Italy, but it wasn't home.

He had a good job and Maya was there. That's all he needed, but he couldn't wait to come back home.

Everyone came to the airport to see them off. Shawn and Katy cried and Maya couldn't help but tear up. They said their goodbyes and I love yous and boarded the plane. Maya wished they could've stayed longer but she had classes and Josh had work. Weather they liked it or not, they had lives back in Florence. Lives that were waiting for them.

And as soon as their feet touched the ground of Florence, Maya knew that this beautiful city snuck up on her and became as important to her as New York. Here she felt something she never had back home. A sense of freedom, a fresh start. As the cab driver drove them home, Maya looked through the window onto the streets that felt as familiar to her as the ones she grew up on. She thought about how strange it felt once, to step on them for the first time. She didn't know anyone, she didn't know her way around and she felt overwhelmed for the first couple of weeks. Then Josh came and she met new friends. She found a cute little café that she liked and she visited all the galleries and soon enough she realized she is going to be just fine. For the rest of her life she will always be grateful she decided to come to Florence.

The first couple of days back, Maya and Josh spent buying stuff for the baby. Maya was only seven weeks pregnant, but the nervous first time parents wanted to be prepared.

"So what exactly do we need?" Josh asked as they strolled the baby store? "Crib, stroller, bunch of cute little onesies?"

"I guess…we need to get some baby books. And I scheduled a doctor's appointment tomorrow at 2."

"I have to be at work then? Do you think we can do it later?" Josh asked.

"I can't. I have classes all day. That's my lunch break and the only free time I have tomorrow." She explained.

"I don't remember your schedule being so busy." Josh said. "I guess I can leave work early."

"I had a talk with the dean, I am adding some classes now so I can finish in one semester instead of two." Maya said. "And you don't have to do that. I can go by myself. I'm a big girl.

"I just don't want to miss anything and I really want to go with you." Josh said.

"Okay. Then we'll go together." She confirmed.

"Are you sure you can handle doubling your school work? I mean you are creating a little human in there." He said and pointed to her belly. "You need to rest and take care of yourself."

"I know that, but I can't have this baby before I graduate. This way, I will finish college in four months and then we can go back home in December and get everything ready for the baby." She looked at him with her pouty look, the one he never knew how to resist.

"I know this is important to you and I support you completely but if you want to have a full year, I could always stay at home with the baby while you go to classes and finish your studies." He offered. The great thing about Josh was, Maya knew, he never said things just for the sake of them being said. He always meant them.

"I know that. And you are very sweet to offer but I want to be there. I don't want to miss anything."

"I get that." He said and kissed her. "We need to find an apartment in New York. We can't stay with your parents."

"We could ask Riley and Lucas to search for some apartments for us while we're here." She suggested.

"That's a good idea. Thankfully, my firm has a New York office and I can transfer anytime I want."

"And I'm a painter so I am my own boss." Maya said joyfully.

"Are we actually doing this? Are we adults?" Josh wondered out loud.

"We so are." Maya said and they high fived. "We got this."

"This baby won't know what hit him." Josh said. "Or her. I'll love it equally either way." He quickly added.

XXXXXXX

Maya and Lucas continued their lives per usual. Maya spent almost all day on campus, either in class or in the art studio. And Josh was busy with work. The only thing that was different was that now their apartment was filled with unpacked boxes full of baby stuff. Most of their conversation now revolved about baby formula and what stool color can babies have, most of which ended with Josh saying "There is no way that's true." Followed by Maya's "It's all in this book."

It took two more weeks before Maya started having morning sickness.

"How is it possible I am gaining so much weight if I am puking all the time?" She said one morning, bent over the toilet. Josh was kneeling besides her, holding her hair and rubbing her back.

"You are barely showing." He protested.

"I gained 10 pounds in a week." Maya growled.

"The doctor said it's normal." Josh reminded her.

"She also said morning sickness only comes in the morning, what does she know." She argued.

"All done?" Josh asked. Maya nodded and cleaned the corners of her mouth with her sleeve. "But I don't know when I'll feel sick again." She said, still sitting on the bathroom floor.

"We can just stay here for a little while longer." Maya smiled and laid down on the floor with her head on Josh's lap. He played with her golden locks as she smiled.

"They say this only lasts for the length of the first trimester." Josh tried to cheer her up.

"Yeah, only a month left. And then comes the fun part, cankles and stretch marks." Maya said. Josh chuckled and then got very serious.

"Do you regret it?" He asked.

"Regret what?" Maya was confused.

"Deciding to keep it." He finished sheepishly.

"No." Maya said right away. "There are times when I wonder what it would be like. I think it's very hard and exhausting but sometimes, even though I know it's medically impossible I think I can hear its little heartbeat inside of me and it always makes me smile."

"I'm glad." He responded.

"Now if only I could get off the floor…" She said, half joking, half serious.

"I wish I could somehow carry the bad sides if this instead of you." Josh said.

"Oh honey, I love you but there is no way you would be able to handle any of this." Maya said.

"I think I could manage." He said.

"Even the giving birth?" Maya insisted.

"Maybe not that." Josh admitted.

Before Maya had the chance to tease him relentlessly, someone rang the doorbell.

"Who could that be?" Maya wondered.

"I don't know. Did we order in Chinese again and forgot about it?" He asked.

"That only happened once." Maya said. "But it's possible."

"I'll go see who it is. You stay here." Josh offered.

Maya could hear his footsteps down the hall all the way to the door. She heard the noise of keys turning and she heard the very familiar voice of the person she loved most in this world yell: "Surprise!"

 **A/N: Hey guys. I know, I am horrible. I kept you waiting for so long. I am so sorry, I was very busy and I started writing a couple of more things because I had a few other ideas. It's not much of an excuse but I hope you understand. Thank you for reading the story and liking it. And to Joganlover97 and everyone else who asked me to continue the story don't worry, I would never abandon the story midway. I will carry it out until the end. Some chapters just may take a little longer that the others. Hopefully, you'll still stick around for all of it.**


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